Is RIM’s Future Looking Bleaker?

Smartphone sales were an important metric for other analyses as well. Shaw Wu of Sterne Agee wrote in a recent note that there may not be enough market share for another major smartphone operating system other than Apple’s iOS and Google’s (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android. However, he did acknowledge that there was a slight possibility that carriers would want to counterbalance the industry’s two largest companies with another platform.

“As we have said in early November, we continue to pick up carrier interest in BlackBerry 10,” Wu wrote. “From our understanding, the rationale is simple. Carriers are growing increasingly leery with the growing dominance of iOS and Android and have been looking for a viable 3rd or potentially 4th platform with the hope that either BB10 and/or Windows 8 takes off.”

Wu maintains a Hold rating on RIM stock.

CHEAT SHEET Analysis: Will BlackBerry 10 Be a Positive Catalyst for RIM’s Stock?

One of the core components of our CHEAT SHEET Investing Framework focuses on catalysts that will move a company’ stock. While shares in Research in Motion have benefitted from the recent analyst coverage, the true catalyst for the company will be the success or failure of the BlackBerry 10 operating system. For the most part, analysts agree that the platform will be a great improvement over the previous model, but the main point of contention is whether the system can compete with iOS and Android.